The Frizzled Writer
by I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I
Summary: No one is a great writer when he or she begins. We all need some counseling and as such, I bring you this. My humble try at teaching how to write a presentable story; without mistakes, without rushes, without any of those things that bring the annoying fl
1. Failure

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

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><p><strong>The Frizzled Writer<strong>

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p><em>Well, hello my fellow readers and writers! If you're here then that means that you're curious as to what I'm writing now or just plain bored and wanting to get a good laugh like only I can give you. As you see, this new project of mine is called "The frizzled writer", why's that you ask? But of course! It is because I'm seriously frizzling with all that it's happening inside this little corner of less than 4k stories that it is the Fairy Tail archive.<em>

_So many stories, so much romance, so much action! So times I found an angst story and I feel like my day has been completed but that's where everything ends. There's a lot of romance, yes, and that should be enough for anyone but… what about the sad stories, my friends? I know that everyone wants a good laugh once in a while at reading because his or hers life sucks… pardon me; I know than that's not the case for everyone… but please! Never read a sad story, depressed yourself at finding it curiously equal to something that happened to you, to later read a happy story and laugh to your heart's content?_

_I did. That's one of the reasons of WHY I write sad stories! When I read someone else's happy story I feel the world equal and normal… no mishaps nor anything, just plain normal, as it should be. Painting the world a romance-bunny-filled one would not make anyone better… it will deceive them and left their guard down to the uncertainties of life._

_And…_

"Are you going to introduce us or what?" Asked a pink-haired boy with arms crossed, an impatient look on his face and his foot tapping the floor impatiently.

_I'm getting to that! Just give me a minute!_

"You're boring me! And the people reading!" He said gazing at the people on the other side of the screen.

_Okay, you might be right there, but… without the whole speech, how do you want me to introduce this?_

"Just use the last lines to make a point!" A blue-haired girl screamed flustered, waving her arms frantically in the air.

_Well… let me skip my mental speech…_

"You didn't write down anything from it?" A black haired woman asked slightly annoyed at the writer's clumsiness. "So unprofessional."

_Hey! Give me a break! *coughs* Here, the last lines says:_

_So, as to break this monotone cycle of rehashed stories, I –Kuroyagi- will write stories about each scenario with the couple I like the most in revenge. Making you realize how short of ideas you really are before throwing in my own ideas. There! Happy?_

"Aye?" A blue cat appeared out of nowhere at the mention of his name. "What's happening?"

_I didn't call you! I was stating my anger towards those annoying characters!_

"Tch, you're a lousy writer." A stripped down man said while crossing his arms and sitting lazily on a chair, as the cat flew to mourn on a corner with a depressed aura.

_And you're naked, but that's beside the point! I'm here with you gathered to write the first chapter of this story that it's centered about Romantic Reunions!_

"R-romantic r-reunions?" A scarlet-haired woman asked shakily as her mind fumbled with thoughts about what I was going to write.

_Yes, romantic reunions… and since I'm feeling good today, I'll start this first chapter with something that many of you already saw; the reunion of Jellal and Erza after the seven years' time-skip._

"You're not thinking about the readers there!" A blonde girl with revealing body-tight clothes screamed frustrated next to the blue-haired girl from before. "You've gotta give them something new!"

_New? New as what? I can't create a scene out of nowhere, you know?_

"You seriously are a lousy writer." The stripped down man said again at hearing my words.

_Okay! You want a reunion? Fine!_

_Word! Keyboard! Start with it!_

It was a fine day for everyone in Magnolia town, the sun shined uninterrupted over the walking citizens of the quiet and commercial village while the only and official guild of the town let them know that their shenanigans were still first order business of the day.

"Repeat what you said, ice pick!" A pink-haired boy yelled in midst of the huge fighting inside the guild's hall to a black-haired boy, who surprisingly, was missing his clothes.

"What you heard, broken match!" The other answered angrily, sending a fist to his opponent and finding it being avoided with little effort; both fighters glaring at each other fiercely. "You're not better than me at fighting!"

"Shut up, ice cube!" The guy known as broken match charged at ice cube with his fist in flames but was interrupted when a table was thrown on his direction. The black-haired boy laughed mockingly for his bad luck but was cut short when a chair hit him on the head and left him unconscious next to broken match, who was laughing victorious at the state of his adversary. "Told you I'm better, Gray!"

The man now known as Gray didn't move or made any signs of acknowledging his words, he remained knocked out on the wooden floor as the pink-haired rose from under the table and jumped to continue with the fight going on inside the guild. That is, until the door opened and a fearsome figure made its entrance, making everyone but the pink-haired boy stop their meaningless fighting. The boy hit a white-haired tall man on the face and made him clashed against a pillar unconscious, cheering for taking down one opponent, unaware of the impending doom that was walking on his direction.

"Yeah! I won, Elfman!" He yelled while pointing at the beaten man victoriously, not noticing a figure looming behind him; the others sweatdropped as they knew his luck wasn't the best of all. "Who's the man now, huh! ?"

"Natsu." The figure said dangerously, making the pink-haired boy freeze on the spot and turned around slowly to witness a scarlet-haired demon surrounded by a dark purple aura glaring daggers at him with bright red eyes. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and backed away slowly.

"E-erza! I was just…!" He ran next to Elfman and swung his shoulder across the unconscious man's back, smiling nervously as he tried to come up with an explanation. "I was just teaching Elfman to take a nap!"

"NATSU!" The feral growl was heard in other towns, and it even made birds fly away in fear, the pink-haired boy paled as he was now backing away from the demon with hands raised defensively.

"W-wait! E-erza! I can explain!" His words fell on deaf ears as the demon called Erza summoned a sword from thin air and pointed it at his throat, pinning him against the wall where his retreat drove him to.

"I go out for a mission just for two days, TWO DAYS! And this is what happens?" She said to him and everyone else inside the room, making them flinch at the edge of her voice. She was seriously mad. "The guild is half destroyed, most of its members are fighting against each other and you, one of them that should be making an example to follow, knock your fellow unconscious! What is YOUR explanation! ?"

"I… I…" The poor kid, named Natsu, struggled to find the words that could get him out of his predicament but failed at every attempt his mind did; thus making her more upset, her anger now making her look three times her size.

"Wait a minute!" The demonic Erz… "Stop that!"

_Now what! ?_

"Didn't you say that this story was about romantic reunions?" She asked assertively, cutting the act of her punishing-demonic self.

_Uh… well… about that…_

"Where's the romance here?" She asked with a disapproving look.

"Yeah! And why must it always be me being punish?" The dragon-slayer said, standing from his position on the floor, the sword still pointing at his throat.

_Uh…_

"You haven't thought about that, didn't you?" Erza said knowingly, nodding to herself when I failed to find words that could contradict her. She exited the guild, much to everyone's surprise, and came back with five books on one hand. She extended the books to me and motioned for me to grab them. "Read this, it'll give you an idea or two."

_Looking incredulous at her, I nodded dumbly and grabbed the books from her, letting out a pained grunt at the weight of them when one hand wasn't enough to support them. She seriously walked from her apartment to the guild with just one hand holding them? Never mind that, I started to read the books._

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><p><strong>Five hours later…<strong>

"So?" Erza asked me as she finished with her tea, giving a last bite to her cheesecake before looking in my direction.

_I… I don't know what to say! This… where did you get this?_

"I found them on the street." Everyone gasped and gaped surprised at her for finding such thing lying on the street, but the blue-haired petit girl standing a few feet away knew better, and because she knew better, she remained quiet.

_Let me start again, please, Erza-nee-sama._

"Of course." Everyone sweatdropped at the honorific and the calm response from her, but shrugged them off when she sent a glare in their direction.

_Let's start again then!_

_Everyone! To your positions! Let's give a good show!_

"Aye sir!"

**To be continued**

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><p><strong>And Erza saves the day! Once more... u_u<strong>

**Okay, I've realized my mistake earlier, so next chapter will be the complete version of "Romantic Reunions".**

**This isn't just a new story, this a counter-strike! XD**

**Saludos!**


	2. Romantic Reunions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

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><p><strong>The Frizzled Writer<strong>

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

**1st Situation: Some tips and romantic reunions.**

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><p><em>So here we are again… *sighs*<em>

_After reading what Erza had to offer me to improve my writing on romantic situations, and having studied each and every book thoroughly, I can finally say I'm ready to continue with this story…_

"Took you long enough."

_I know I'm not the best in finishing stories, but hey! I do my best._

"Your 'best' is not enough, do more, push yourself to the limits."

_Easy for you to say, *sighs* let's see…_

_Why don't we start with the basics before teaching, whoever is reading, on how to write something romantic for a situation?_

"Sounds good to me," Erza nodded and watched as the writer took some notes from somewhere and gave them to Natsu; she quirked an eyebrow in wonder. Why would he give them to the Dragon Slayer? "Why are you giving your notes to him?"

"Yeah, I cannot write!" Natsu looked at the papers in his hands and tried his best to read their contents, only to fail miserably. "Ugh, I don't get any of this!"

_That's exactly why I chose you, my dear pink-haired… *grins*_

…

…

_Come on; try to write something and I'll correct it._

tis is stupid

"Natsu!" Erza warned with a stern tone.

hey¡ whys her writin better¡?

_Because she reads a lot, and she knows how to write properly, that's why._

tis is even mur stupid

"Last warning, Natsu." Erza was nearing the limits of her thin patience.

_*sighs* Write something and I'll correct it, okay?_

kay

i was walkin down the town to the guild an i found happy eatin some fish

i said: hi happy¡

and he said: natsu¡

_*groans* This will be more painful than what I thought._

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><p><em>Rule Nº 1: Grammar and talking methods.<em>

_Natsu, I know this is asking a lot from you but you need to do better than that._

_For starters…_

_Don't use "¡" at the end of a sentence, that's only for Spanish and some other language. Try using "!"._

aye!

_Always start the sentence with capital letters._

ALRIGHT!

_*sweatdrops* Just the first letter of the first word of the sentence._

Like this?

_*eyes widen* T-that's right!_

Happy will be surprised after this! Theirs no way his cannot be!

_Hey now, don't confuse "There's" with "Their"... or "He's" with "His"… or "It's" with "Its"…_

_Write something about Happy with what I taught you so far._

Ugh. Happy is my friend. He's a flyin cat that can smell fish nearby even if it's a mile away.

_Really? That good of a nose? *looks in wonder*_

There's no way he cannot smell it!

_Great job! Now, remember to enclose your words with quotation marks when you're talking._

"Funny why don't you do the same?"

_I'm a voice in off. I don't need those; I only need to write my words in cursive._

_One more thing; separate sentences with commas._

"This is geting even more easy, right Erza?"

"Indeed." The scarlet haired wasn't surprised at seen the fast learning from the boy. She was expecting this from him.

_Last thing; check on your words. Don't misspell or forget letters in your words. It looks awful._

"I am getting better and better, ha! I can't wait to see Gray's face after this!"

_Good work!_

"So now I can write like Lucy does?"

_*chuckles* Not yet, but you're not far from it._

_You just learned how to write properly and how to write when you're speaking._

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><p><em>Rule Nº 2: Describe your actions.<em>

_Say, Natsu, what are you doing right now?_

"Uh? I'm sitting near the bar… why?"

_Doing what?_

"Talking with you and writing what you say on paper…"

_And in the meantime, what is your body doing?_

"I don't get it…" He looked puzzled at the question. He couldn't comprehend what the writer was trying to teach him. His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! So that's what you mean?!"

_*grins* Exactly that._

"I truly can't wait to see Gray's face after this." He rubbed his hands together and cackled mischievously; already thinking on what to say to the annoying striper that was watching from afar with a bored face. "Hey! What're you looking at, Ice-pick?!"

"Just your dumb face, Flame-brain!" Gray yelled from the table in which he was sitting together with Lucy and Levy. Both girls were sighing tiredly at their antics.

_Who would have believed Gray to write so well... *looks surprised*_

"I learned with Ur." The Ice Alchemist shrugged with his answer, not interested in dwelling too much about the subject.

_*nods* I see._

"I believe Natsu has already learned how to write his words and actions," the scarlet-haired knight called for the writer's attention; gazing at the pink-haired boy who was writing everything he was doing at the moment with a rush of excitement. "Let's advance to the third rule."

_Alright then._

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><p><em>Rule Nº 3: Describe your surroundings.<em>

_This is a difficult area; let's see how you do…_

"Bring it!" Natsu grinned enthusiastically. He was burning up at the idea of a new challenge.

_Okay then, tell me, what can you see around you?_

"Uhm…" Natsu crossed his arms in thinking; he gazed around, inspecting the hall with narrowed eyes. There were many tables, most of them occupied by his fellows. The stools near the bar were all occupied; he was together with Erza, Makarov, Gildartz, Mirajane and Lisanna. The upper floor was empty, expect for Laxus and his Raijinshu.

The doors were closed and the atmosphere over the wizards was cheerful, but not as always, the author's presence had everyone on edge.

_*scratches chin* You added how your guildmates were feeling, *nods* that's a plus._

"Uh? Really?" Receiving another nod from the author, Natsu jumped off his stool and cheered for his success. "Yeah! I beat it!" He turned towards the author with hopeful eyes. "Can I write like Lucy now?"

"Shut up and let him speak." Gildartz recommended, taking a long swig from his beer, downing it in a few seconds.

_Not yet, my dear Salamander, but you're close._

_Let's see… can you give me time to think of other things? *chuckles nervously* I seriously need to write down a list of themes, dammit!_

"Watch your language." Erza warned calmly, narrowing her eyes at the author.

_S-sorry, Erza-nee-sama…_

_Okay, as you might have noticed, this isn't over…_

_Why?_

_Because I'm now going to teach you how to write a proper Romantic Reunion!_

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><p><em>Knowing it from the Beginning – Chapter 7 – Blend the Future Part 5<em>

(Brammingmont's southern border, near the forest.)

_'You know what will happen when you meet with her…'_

He ran down the streets, the sound of fighting coming from the forest in front of him getting louder by each step he took. He exited the city without looking back at the fight his friends were having behind; fully knowing that the odds were against them but also knowing that their enemy was not one to take lives for fun or whim.

_'…the moment your eyes lock, your resolve will weaken…'_

He moved low branches out of his path, his hands and legs were moving automatically and his breathing was hard, the sounds of explosions and dust rising everywhere was not a good sign. He quickened his pace.

_'…the wall that you built in order to keep it a secret…'_

Another explosion was heard, something made a path of destruction in its wake and he realized the fight was running away from him. He clenched his teeth in frustration and stopped where he was. He looked at the ground while the voice still echoed inside his head. He needed to get there faster or he would just waste energy for nothing.

_'…will crumble to pieces, leaving your heart…'_

He concentrated his fire to his feet, these rapidly engulfing in flames. He now needed to know his destination; he raised his head to look at where the fight stopped.

_'…wide open to be cared for and loved in return…'_

Another explosion caused movement to his right, before coming to a halt. There it was, eight hundred meters to the north-east from where he was standing. He lost no time in using his magic to propel himself to the battle that his friend and… his other friend, who-was-not-supposed-to-be-know-as-his-friend, were having.

_'…and stabbed in the back and abandoned when you least expect it…'_

He soared through branches and leafs until he met with the sky and the smoke from where the last explosion came. He used his arms to give direction to his wild propulsion. A look of determination setting over his face, a feeling that was distant coming back to him and giving him chills down his spine with every meter he grew closer.

_'…beware Natsu; because love is a double edged sword. It can make us strong like a god and weak like a fly at the same time…'_

"I don't care!" He screamed to the annoying memory, his determination turning to anger when the last part of the speech came to his mind. "All I want is to save her now! I'll bother about the consequences later!"

_'…live the present with your heart, my friend, keep both eyes cautiously in the future and your brain in the past as to not repeat the same mistakes from yesterday…'_

He was inside the dust cloud now, he needed to use his strengthened senses to scan the area and find his friend before the battle could move to somewhere else again.

_'…Natsu, I know your future but the path to it can only be made by you and only you. All you need is to remember what I previously said and have the courage to make the things you haven't dare to do before… that's all I can say, as to not distort the future more than what it already is. Until next time we meet again, good luck… '_

He started by smelling; no good, the cloud covered most of the scents.

His eyes couldn't discern much in the dense dust that the clashing between mages caused.

His hearing was the last he could use, so he concentrated in the sounds near him.

There was someone panting to his left and someone walking slowly to the middle of the battlefield to the right. That was good to start, but it didn't help when you are in a situation like this one where you could go to the obvious choice and surprise yourself with being wrong.

He sighed.

Why did they need to make it difficult to him?

He landed hard on the ground, making his presence be known to both fighters and made a little magic release to disperse the dust around him. Now it was clearer for him and he could distinguish the scents and discern the figures around him.

He felt the urge to punch something, scream and laugh at the same time; since the situation was the contrary to what he imagined, to his left was Asis trying to stand up, bruises and cuts everywhere on her body while Erza stood immobile to his right, her Heaven's Wheel armor on and ready to shot five swords at her enemy; but Natsu remembered the sound of her moving to the center.

What made her stop?

Was it him?

Was she wondering if he was an illusion made by the enemy to make a run for it?

Or maybe… the sight before her was too much to bear?

After all, the look on her face told him something like that, and it was the fact that they haven't seen each other after five years, two months, one week, three days, ten hours and thirty-seven minutes that made him realize that.

But who's counting?

He turned in her direction and relaxed his muscles, all of his worries being washed away when his eyes meet with hers in the middle of the still clearing dust. He smiled nostalgically before raising one hand to wave it at her; two simple words that he said where enough to make her understand that he was not an illusion or a dream.

"I'm back…" He said it, it sounded cliché but he couldn't think of a better word for the moment. Erza stood her ground, trembling. Her hands clenched as she gritted her teeth after re-equipping into her normal armor.

"Erza, I..." Natsu was interrupted when her fist kissed his cheeks, a movement that he hadn't thought about when he imagined how their reunion would occur. Needless to say, he was sent flying backwards 20 yards away, surprising Asis, who took the chance to move away from the place, and almost leaving him unconscious if it weren't be because of his high resistance. Natsu was about to shout at Erza when she jumped on top of him, tears falling down her cheeks from both of her eyes. He kept his mouth shut, he knew what she was about to say.

"5 years, Natsu! 5, bloody, years and not a single letter?!" Erza shouted. Natsu blinked, confused by Erza's reaction and words. Wasn't she about to question him about the incident in the guild? Wasn't she going to question him about his possible implication with the foreigners' attacks on Fiore? Did she really care about it or was just letting it slide to question him later?

Natsu didn't understand a thing so he did the only thing that came to his mind. 'Stay quiet and listen.'

"I was worried, Natsu… what if something had happened to you?" Erza asked softly. Natsu smiled and relaxed, stretching his hands out and pulling Erza's head to his chest while he got his torso up from the ground. "What if you suffered the same as Gildartz with that black dragon?"

"I'm… sorry… I really am…" Natsu muttered, embracing her. Erza closed her eyes; forgetting her worries for a moment and allowing herself to relax in Natsu's embrace. It felt good to have him back with her, after so long, after that day when they spent an afternoon together under a tree just the two of them with the silence of the forest.

Asis took the chance to leave the place completely, even if her curiosity wanted to see more of the soft side of her leader, the need to heal her wounds called stronger. She could annoy the hell out of him later. 'Oh! I almost forgot!'

She couldn't leave just like that, so she prepared a little surprise for the both of them. She kneeled down and put her hands on the grass, her magic seal appearing momentarily before disappearing. This got her tired so she inhaled some air, used a tree nearby to help her stand up and started to get away from the place.

Meanwhile, the other two were still hugging each other calmly in the middle of the boulder that Erza did earlier while fighting against Asis. Natsu opened his eyes after a few minutes passed, his body feeling warmer than usual with his scarlet haired friend close to him. He blushed slightly at the position they held together and took a peek at her face, it seemed like she had calmed down her crying. Something that made him feel guilty but happy at the same time, he supposed they were tears of joy for seeing him again and not of sadness for his stupidity at not writing a single letter.

"Do you like me, Erza?" Natsu asked while grabbing her from the shoulders and moving her away so he could see her reaction at the question, and she could see that he was seriously asking her that. And she wasn't expecting that question… so soon.

"H-huh?! W-why do you say that?" Erza raised an eyebrow, a small blush that passed through the wall that kept her emotions in check creeping over her cheeks. Natsu swapped their positions effortlessly, allowing him to straddle her waist much to her surprise. Hands at both sides of her head, letting her know that he wasn't going to let her go unless she answered the question.

"Because you cried… Lucy did not even cry when I first saw her after these five years." Natsu said as if that answered all the questions and doubts. She suddenly felt like a spotlight was pointed solely at her, waiting for her lines in a theater play. Not good. Natsu was about to scream victory when she suddenly came up with an answer.

"O-of course not! And when did you become so cognitive?!" Erza countered, clearly confuse by the pink-hair's new insight of things. She would have to keep her emotions in check next time, if she was going to keep her feelings secret from him, that is.

"Ever since I saw the world for myself, Erza. I have matured. I am not the same Natsu anymore." Natsu smirked; clearly proud of the achievement he did during the five years he was out. But… that maturity of which he talked about wasn't really complete to say the least.

"You've become matured then, so much that you dare to straddle my waist?" Erza asked with a small smile and a raise eyebrow. Natsu, who was oblivious to that, realized their position and blushed, hastily getting up and moving away from her a few feet with his back turned to her. She felt like laughing for his still innocent mind and how she managed to avoid the previous question, but shrugged the thought off when she heard what she wanted to hear from him.

"I-I'm sorry." Natsu turned around again and held down a hand to help her get up, his head looking away from her with a small blush still in place. Erza's smile widened as she pulled herself up using the help of his hand, dusting off her skirt after he release her hand. "I'm sorry for the letter thing too, sorry for everything…"

She was about to dismiss his apologies and ask him about his travels when she felt two strong arms embracing her, a familiar warm heating her body while a soft voice whispered words that almost made her cry again.

"Hey, Erza… I'm back… I really am." Natsu tighten his grip on Erza's body with a sad yet happy smile and closed eyes. She imagined the look of his face and how hers was doing the same. The feeling was so strong that she let her eyes cry for the second time that day, at the same time her arms moved to return the hug with the same feeling.

"Welcome back… idiot." She muttered softly through his scarf.

Today was a good day.

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><p><em>So? What do you think of it?<em>

"It is better than the attempt of the first chapter." Erza muttered quietly, trying to hide her blushing face while drinking a glass of water. The scene was too much for her to bear.

"…" Natsu stood frozen in his spot. His face was a mixture of confusion and fear.

_I guess I will have to wait for the boy to wake up… *sighs*_

_That's good anyway; I still need to get my notes in order before writing the next chapter…_

_See you all later; don't do any crazy stuff while I'm gone, okay?_

"Do not worry," Makarov said, crossing his arms in thinking. "We will keep them in check."

_Thanks…_

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><p><strong>(AN: Thanks to the 'guest' reviewer I remembered about this story and its objective. Thank you, whoever you are. *chuckles* That's why I like signed reviews, but that's another matter.**

**So, what do you think? I came up with this for the story. Not only a teaching on Romance but also a teaching on writing... not from the very best but it is something. At least I know the rules for a proper writing and how to apply them... give me a breather... *sweatdrops*  
><strong>

**My point with this? Well, of course, to give a hand to the starting writers! Or those already writing! We all need some advice on our writing from time to time; even the ones you admire or that have inspired your writing take advices and follow them to the letter.  
><strong>

**And since I haven't seen a story trying to teach some proper writing with the characters from Fairy Tail, I decided to take the leap of fate and try to write one. For all of you and for myself; I need to remember some of the basics, and this story will help with that. *smiles weakly*  
><strong>

**Saludos.)  
><strong>


	3. Romantic sacrifices

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

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><p><strong>The Frizzled Writer<strong>

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

**2****nd**** Situation: Romantic sacrifices.**

* * *

><p><em>Ugh… not my stronger topic…<em>

"I would recommend you adapt quickly to the situation," a woman of long brown hair and a face as stern as the writer's previous helper (*cough* or Nee-sama *cough*) said with no emotion in her voice but enough to show she cared for the matter they were taking care of at the moment. "You'll not be of help like this."

_Ugh… not my type of girl either…_

"I beg your pardon?" Kagura asked with a raised eyebrow, looking at the black-haired author with her feet taking her two steps back. Though, there were more important matters at hand, and as such, in those situations one needs to put aside all doubts and discomforts to reach the main goal.

_Why, Erza, why!? Why did you leave my side!?_

'Put aside all doubts and discomforts…' Kagura repeated inwardly like a mantra, trying her best to keep her sword sheathed and her face unreadable. No wonder the scarlet-haired woman asked her to cover for her with the project; the black-haired author was freaking insane for feeling something for a fictional character. '…but wait, why is it always about Scarlet?'

_*sighs* Okay, I'm done brooding… let's see, what's the topic for today?_

"The notes say you were going to give more advices regarding writing before showing a way to write about romantic situations in the aspect of 'sacrifices'…" The Mermaid Heel wizard answered after reading the paper with instructions left by her predecessor. She eyed the _test subjects_ of today's chapter and sighed to herself. How she got into this was a question few will be able to answer. "…Brother, please do better than the Dragon Slayer."

"I will try, Kagura, though I'm not so sure about my writing." Simon confessed with a hand scratching his hair under the turban. He was revived just to meet his sister again and participate in a madman's story, just _great_.

_Let's see *looks up*, why don't we start by lesson two then?_

"Just do what you need to do and I'll help along the way." Kagura nodded to the author.

_Okay, thank you. Now, Simon, try to think of a situation._

"What situation?" The metal jawed man stared at the author in cluelessness. He was no writer; he could barely imagine something besides things related to daily life, those things that were the usual or predictable.

_Any situation your mind comes up with… *scratched his chin* Say, how would your life be if you were still alive?_

"I don't know, I died." Simon answered plainly, seeing his sister face palm at his lack of understanding of the author's request. "What?"

…_listen, how do you think your life would be if you were alive? I mean, if the Altairis hadn't hit you, would you be travelling together with Shou, Wally and Millianna? Or would you have stayed with Erza to try and win her affections at that moment in which Jellal was thought dead?_

"…I guess I would've stayed, n-not for those reasons exactly, but yeah," the man gave a short serious nod. "I would've stayed to ensure Erza is safe."

_And…? *motions to continue* What else?_

"I guess… things would have gone to me joining her guild…" Simon started to think, imagine what would have happened if he had survived the Tower of Heaven arc, the wheels in his brain finally moving to do more than just think of the normal boring life he used to have. "I would've found a place to stay, do a few jobs as a wizard of Fairy Tail, and make friends with those that are friends of her…"

"Good job, Brother." Kagura nodded approvingly, smiling a bit at the quick improvement of her sibling.

_Good good good, not perfect but it is there… *he points to a random direction* We need to make you reach that point of excellence!_

"…are you…?" Simon faced his sister nervously. "Is this guy okay, Kagura?"

"I doubt it, though his knowledge on how to write is priceless, listen to him… and endure his madness." The woman tapped her sword's hilt twice to make a point, closing her eyes to not see the author jumping around talking about beautiful red-heads. 'What's the big deal with red-heads!?'

_*coughs and stops dancing* Now then, what you thought about is not baaaaaaaaaaaad~ but it lacks originality…_

_Let's see again, why don't we do something like this…_

_Repeat after me! *points to the sky* I will think until my brains come out from my ears!_

"T-t-that's…!"

_Repeat… after… ME!_

"I will think until my brains come out from my ears!" The man chanted again and again, trying his best to suppress his embarrassment and the look of pity his sister was giving him. Why? Why him? Why not some other random dead dude!?

Though, in between those embarrassing chants he was mouthing, something snapped inside his head.

A thousand images came out flashing through his eyes in an instant and made them stop completely.

"I… I-I can see it…!" Simon yelled in victory, jumping from his seat (he was sitting in a normal chair with a desk in front of him) with his pencil held high in the air (he had a pencil too). Kagura looked at him in shock before being even more surprised to see him scribbling in his notebook (yeah, he had a notebook too) furiously, writing down whatever came to his mind after the stupid chant. "T-t-this is brilliant!"

"W-what happened?" The woman turned slowly to look at the author, but was surprised to see him playing some video games. "What are you doing!?"

_Damn it! I hold the guy's dick for the entire year and game to get Mitsuru's link MAXED and he can only enjoy a month with her!? *throws his joystick to the screen in anger* What kind of fucking game is this!?_

"Kuroyagi…?" Kagura tapped the man's shoulder and watched him turned around with his eyes covered in tears. "W-what's wrong…?"

_W-why…? Why does the world hates the red-heads so much…? *sobs dramatically* W-why cannot they see how awesome they are!?_

'A-again with the red-heads!?' Kagura curled her hands into fists, clenching them tightly before bringing them forward to pummel the author down with the wrath of all and every brunette woman in the world. "Brown hair is better than red!"

_W-w-w-w-w-wait…! Not in the face…! *pales after a low punch* N-n-not down there either!_

"And so, the mighty Simon, who now knew of his heritage as the great grandson of the most terrible wizard in history, brought forth the remnants of the magic power of the Dragon Slayer that sacrificed himself to save his beloved Erza from the wicked Jellal and used the strength of the flame of emotion to beat Jellal and kill him completely." Simon muttered as he continued to write what his imagination kept on showing to him, a happy and excited smile growing on his face by the second. "He swore to avenge the Dragon Slayer, did a number of movements and made the etherion in the tower seal itself inside the blue-haired man, making him explode after a few minutes of seeing his body trying to contain the unstoppable energy. Simon the Great then turned towards his beloved Erza, stepping over the dead Dragon Slayer to pick her up bridal style and leave the tower by flying towards the sunset. A rainbow and many birds could be seeing in the distance as the peoples of the world cheered for him!"

He continued like this for a good moment before lifting the notebook in which he was writing, a victorious gleam in his eyes… well, he had one eye only.

"I'm done!" He yelled to the top of his lungs, looking around for his _sensei_ and his sister. Not finding them anywhere nearby. He tilted his head in curiosity, leaving the notebook over the desk to check the place for any signs of the other two. After thirty minutes of searching, he found himself in the second floor of the mansion that belonged to the author.

There was something strange in the air.

There was no noise coming from the rooms in that floor.

Well, there were noises, but they were coming from the master bedroom at the end of the hallway.

And they weren't pleasant noises for him.

Not at all, considering his jealous-overprotective brother side.

And also… what was with those clothes belonging to the author and his sister left in the floor and leading to the…?

Oh…

No…

No no no no!

He ran towards the end of the hallway and stopped in front of the master bedroom, hearing some moans and grunts before he dared to knock on the door.

The noises stopped.

Some rustling was heard and, before he could knock again, the author opened the door, stepped outside and closed the only way inside the room behind him without letting the one-eyed man see what was inside.

Simon was shocked to see him, but more than anything, he was shocked to see the black-haired man wearing nothing but some covers to hide his nudity. The author gave a nervous smile, not paying attention to the inquisitive eye staring intently at the hickeys around his neck or the long red fingernail marks over his shoulders. Some were deep and bleeding.

"H-how can I help you?" The author asked the most polite way he could, knowing he was dealing with the… *coughs* brother of the woman inside the room.

"W-what… were you and my sister doing?" Simon asked mutely.

"U-u-u-uuh…" The author looked troubled, if his gulping meant anything despite his shifting feet and wandering eyes. He was in deep shit; like six feet under in shit. "She… she was telling me… that brunettes are way better than red-heads… and I… just felt like wanting to learn more of her, _vision_, in the matter… heheheh… heh…"

Simon stared at the author.

The author continued to give a nervous smile.

Simon turned his stare into a murderous glare.

The author sweated profusely.

Simon gave chase to the author with his lungs screaming 'bloody asshole' all the way.

The author ran for his dear life, not wanting to stop for the sake of continuing his story.

_Yeah right, _that's _my reason to continue living._

And after nine months...

_Ooooooooooooooh no! No way in hell that's happening!_

_Let's go to the example on how to write a romantic sacrifice!_

* * *

><p><em>A Change of Scene – Chapter 11 – A shadowed path<em>

(Tower of Heaven, upper level.)

A few minutes passed, the crumbling of the tower's lower levels could be heard from the throne room, the time they had was running thin and when Ultear left him and Gerard on the middle of the room the fire was already consuming the etherion around the hole made on the ground during the early fight.

"Listen, and listen well, you can't escape, there's no way and I told you I won't be taking you with me… but you can stop the etherion from exploding and killing everyone around and inside the tower."

Natsu nodded and urged her to continue, this was serious so he was listening intently.

"You must merge with the etherion and redirect the energy to the sky."

His eyes widened when he heard it.

What she was telling him… wasn't that what Gerard wanted to do with Erza?

"Choose wisely and move fast, my guess is that there are 5 minutes left before this whole place blows up."

After saying that, she turned and walked until she was standing under the hole made in the ceiling of the throne room, looking at the night starry sky being clouded by gusts of smoke for a moment before casting a final glance over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

And she vanished.

He stared at the now empty spot for a moment, the rumbling under him calling his attention back to the situation at hand and what he had to do. He looked at the form of Gerard stirring, moving, he was waking up. Natsu crawled closer to the man with his eyes darting in between him and the increasing flames until he saw Gerard finally opening his eyes.

Witnessing the situation around him with blurry eyes and mind, the first thing he saw was an orange-colored roof.

He got half his body up, rubbing his temple with one hand while the other served as support.

"…W-where… where am I…?"

"Gerard…?"

The azure-haired looked in the direction from which the voice came, finding a guy with pink-hair, onyx eyes and worn out aspect staring intently at him. He recognized him from somewhere, but he couldn't exactly say from where. His mind was a mess; he didn't remember anything but his own name and the knowledge of the world where he was.

Until it hit him.

Fire, pink, summer…

"…N-natsu…?"

"Gerard! It's you!"

Natsu, unable to contain himself, pulled the man to a hug. Glad that he was back to normal… or to the good Gerard he got to know when he arrived. The azure-haired felt his eyes widening at the sudden hug, not expecting it, but he calmed down when more memories returned to him. He knew this guy, he was his friend.

"N-natsu… what happened?"

"We're at the tower, we had a fight, the etherion became unstable and everything is going to blow up unless I -!"

"S-slow down… my head is still trying to grasp everything…"

"…Okay…in short, I'm going to merge with the etherion and save you."

Gerard's eyes widened at the decision of his friend, quickly standing up on his two feet to stop Natsu with a hand on his wrist, the pink-haired looking over his shoulders with a surprised expression.

"N-no… I will do it…"

If possible, Natsu's eyes widened even more. He turned around and slapped the man's hand from his wrist, narrowing his gaze to make him understand that there was no way he will let him take that responsibility.

"You need to live, Gerard, you suffered enough."

"That's not for you to decide! What I did… what my mind is showing me… these memories…! I did wrong, Natsu! I must do something to atone for my mistakes!"

"You will! You will live and make Erza happy! That'll be your atonement!"

Gerard growled unconsciously at the mention of the knight, narrowing his eyes in defiance.

"I won't! You will be the one to make her happy!"

"No way, she wants you!"

"Blind fool! She wants you!"

A sudden collapse of the ground around them stopped their bickering.

They met eyes, the same thought crossing their minds and escaping their mouths.

"She wants us both."

They nodded and ran towards the pillar of etherion standing at the center of the room.

"If what I remember is right, we have to concentrate on a single point going up, that will lead the energy to the deeps of the sky and prevent the explosion… we cannot think about anything else."

"Got it."

Giving one last nod, they raised their hands and pressed them against the crystalline surface, this one letting them pass after a moment and sending waves of pain to their bodies.

"F-felt that?"

"Y-yeah…"

"T-the etherion is accepting us… push forward."

And they did as such.

The ground continued to collapse, the roof was consumed by the fire and the shaking of the building became steady and stronger. When the floor in which they were standing fell to the deeps of burning tower, both their bodies were almost completely swallowed by the magic material.

"Natsu…"

"Don't."

"B-but…!"

"Say it after we get out of this."

Natsu grinned to his friend, his first true friend, with a confidence that –because of the etherion connecting them or the strength behind the simple act- reached to Gerard and brought up a smile of his own.

They closed their eyes and leaned back further into the substance, both concentrating their minds on the task.

For Natsu and Gerard…

…consciousness slipped away.

* * *

><p>"Okay, that's a double romantic sacrifice." Kagura pointed out as she continued to dress herself up, ignoring the drooling mouths and heart-shaped stares of the readers. "I guess that works for this chapter, even if the reason for their sacrifice was not present."<p>

"Kagura…?" Erza asked in surprise after seeing the woman accommodating her bra over her clothes before proceeding to tie her hairband again. Men liked her hairband; some kind of fetish from them regarding her, though she wondered why the author did not have that fetish as well. The red-head eyed the destroyed hall of the author's mansion and then turned her eyes towards the woman standing in the midst of it again, a question in her eyes. "What… what happened here?"

"Nothing but men being men and me showing the readers, and our _dear_ author, that brunettes are way better than red-heads." Kagura stated with a challenging smirk threw in Erza's direction.

The Titania didn't understand what the Mermaid Heel wizard was trying to say with that, but she left it for later wondering…

…a rematch was waiting, and she didn't like to leave people waiting.

Also...

...red-heads ARE waaaaaaaaaaay better than brunettes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Next to the sea with a bowl of ramen at hand, life is more... soup-y... and delicious... and salty... especially so if the sea is connected to the Atlantic ocean. Yeah. Geography lessons REALLY help me after leaving high-school.<strong>

**Off with the crazy-sarcastic ranting, I will continue writing this fic. I saw lately that few -if not the majority- of the writers in this sections are lacking in the writing department. Too many mistakes and stuff. Heck, the also lack imagination. Come on, people! Use your brains for a change!**

**Off with that angry ranting, yeah, it seems like I'll return for a while... not long, not permanently, but enough to see this GUIDE finished and helping writers -new and old- with their stories.**

**Yeah, I'm that awesome. Caught the sarcasm yet?**

**Saludos.**


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